With Valentine’s Day being tomorrow, I wanted to share an
idea with everyone that they could possibly use in their classroom for lower
functioning students. Candy comes in all shapes and sizes. But Valentine’s Day presents a unique time
when heart candies are available as well as usual circles or squares. This is great opportunity to help students
not just differentiate shapes, but dimensions as well.
Candy Game/Activity
Give students pictures of shapes( 2 dimensional) and a
variety of candy( 3 dimensional). The
students have to correctly identify the flat objects vs. the 3 dimensional counter
parts. Students need to correctly
identify the correct amount they were given. And of course, they then can enjoy a well deserved treat.
Examples:
Circles : Ferrero Rocher, Lindor, Whoppers
Squares: Ghiradelli/Starburst
Rectangles: Candy Bars (Twix, Snickers, Butterfinger, MilkyWay)
Ovals: M&Ms, Skittles
Hearts: Sour Patch Valentine’s Hearts, Conversation Hearts,
any chocolate in a heart shape
An additional resource to enforce this concept is Summertime
Spot the Shapes game www.education.com
Hey Courtney!
ReplyDeleteLooks like we are one in the same with our love for connecting lessons to holidays, seasons, etc. I've noticed a trend in teachers using fun activities leading up to a holiday or a break from school, such as parties, movies in class, and crafts. While it's fun to take a break and enjoy some out-of-the-ordinary activities in school (we all know the struggle of trying to survive the week before Christmas break!), I think finding fun lessons that relate to the holiday is a more productive idea!
Connecting a shapes and geometry lesson to Valentine's Day is such a creative idea, I love how you provided several worksheets that students can work on and then gave candy suggestions related to the shapes for them to enjoy. This is a cool way to spark a conversation too- after students complete the worksheets, they can identify the 3D shapes some of their favorite treats are in! Nothing distracts a student from the fact that they're doing math like some sugar as a reward! ;)
Great post!
Danielle